Communications: electrical – Traffic control indicator – Combined
Patent
1997-07-21
1998-08-04
Hofsass, Jeffery A.
Communications: electrical
Traffic control indicator
Combined
340933, 340937, 340907, 342 42, 342 44, 342 70, 342442, 235384, G06G 100
Patent
active
057900523
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for determining the position of a vehicle, which is located on a road, in the short-range transmitting/receiving field of a first beacon, and performs data transmission with its on-board unit.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Within the scope of comprehensive traffic management, there will be many new services, in the future, in which the position of the vehicle which is performing a data transmission at a particular time must be determined. In particular when fee services are involved, e.g. automatic electronic collection of road use fees, or when checking for entitlement to use a certain lane, it must be ensured that even if several vehicles are in the transmitting/receiving range of a beacon, the current data transmission is assigned only to a single vehicle, in a targeted manner. From the publication "Microstrip array antenna for an automatic road pricing system," European Microwave Conference 1993, Madrid, pages 351 to 353, it is already known to form communications zones in a lane, by means of several antennas, which zones are so narrow that only a single vehicle can be located within a communications zone at one time. In this connection, for example, several fixed antennas per vehicle are provided, to produce several narrow communications zones. In accordance with German Patent Application No. OS 42 22 014, an antenna arrangement is provided on the beacon, which arrangement electronically generates a follow-up, a direction diagram for a certain vehicle, in such a way that a main receiving beam is aimed at the vehicle in question, and the reception attenuation relative to the main receiving beam is high in the direction of the other adjacent objects in each instance.
The technical effort involved in these solutions is relatively great. Another problem also results from the fact that larger communications zones, in which several vehicles can be located, are not possible. However, it is desirable to transmit certain free-of-charge information and warning services to as many vehicles as possible, for example if a traffic jam threatens to occur due to an accident, or if the weather is causing problems. Furthermore, in a large communications zone, more time is available for data transmission, so that even vehicles which are driving very fast can be reliably included.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The method according to the present invention, for determining the position of a vehicle, has the advantage, in comparison, that the proposed solution represents a simple method for clear assignment of a vehicle position and a data transmission, using the velocity measurement. It is particularly advantageous that the method does not set any special requirements or changes with regard to carrier frequency, band width, modulation or transmission of special data sequences. It is therefore fundamentally compatible with the future standard of short-range data transmission at 5.8 GHz for traffic applications.
By simultaneously measuring the velocity, using the two beacons, the following result is achieved in advantageous manner: a vehicle position can be determined by forming the ratio of every data transmission to the beacons, and this position has a certain direction relative to the two beacons.
It is furthermore advantageous that the start of the velocity measurement can be triggered, for example, by means of an induction loop or an infrared photoeye in the road, since these devices are essentially independent of weather and can easily be installed in the road surface or above the traffic lane.
If, on the other hand, a precise determination of position is required, a third velocity can be measured, using a third beacon, and the exact vehicle position can be determined by means of a comparison equation, since the distance from the three beacons has been established.
For practical purposes, an arrangement to the right and left of a roadway and above a road appears to be particularly suitable, since this arrangement can be directed at the same communications zone
REFERENCES:
patent: 5227803 (1993-07-01), O'Connor et al.
patent: 5592181 (1997-01-01), Cai et al.
patent: 5710556 (1998-01-01), Nishimura et al.
European Microwave Conference 1993, Madrid, pp. 351-353.
Hofsass Jeffery A.
Lee Benjamin C.
Robert & Bosch GmbH
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